Paper Snowflake
by NekoFelia
Summary: ToshiroxOC! Magic. It was all like some sort of magic. The cranes, the happiness, everything. But the most magical thing of all had to be her. Canon...Kinda. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

I just had to write this down when this idea popped into my head! I'll keep on updating Icy Warmth though so yeah. I have more free time on my hands now and I guess I just really really wanted to write this. Anyways, hope you all enjoy this new series of mine! And yes, this is Toshiro x Oc cause I freaking love the white-haired chibi! Also, this is also going to be canon...kinda. Includes arcs from both anime and manga. Onward, into the black text below...or white text. Depends if you're using your phone or not. 3rd person POV too.

By the way, this will begin before Toshiro was even a shinigami! There will be a huge time skip though so don't skip the beginning...not like you ever would right?

disclaimer: Yes, I remembered to put this on the first chappy! WOOOOO! I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY OC's

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ch.1 Magic

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He watched as the children whispered to each other, their shallow eyes never leaving his form. When he looked up, they immediately froze, looked to each other, then ran off together, leaving him sighing. He wasn't surprised, not one bit. Sure he used to be but as time went by he didn't really mind as much...The other kids were like gossiping chickens. The talk about others all they want but when they have to face their 'victims' their tails go in between their legs and they run off.

Feeling a warm breeze ruffle his hair, Toshiro quickly ran over to a large tree, it's green leaves creating a nice wide shade. The grass was soft and slightly tickled him as he sat down and leaned against the rough wooden trunk, his small green kimono being the only barrier between his sun-kissed skin and the bark.

It didn't take long before he felt rustling next to him and a soft warmth brushing – that was most definitely not the wind - against his arm. "What the" Toshiro suddenly shot up and backed away from the tree, his turquoise orbs looking down at what had just sat before him. There sitting on the grass was another child, her eyes looking up and meeting his own. It looked as if he was staring into slightly tainted clouds; the gray in her eyes were so light and pale that it could pass as a clear white. She held such an innocent and confused look in her orbs, as if she what she had just done was completely normal and was questioning why he had moved away in such a springy matter. Her hair was so long that she had to sit on it to keep it from blowing around in the wind, her locks a deep red that it looked as if it held a dark violet tinge. It was slightly spiky but didn't stick out everywhere like his own hair.

"Why did you move away" She cocked her head to the side, emphasizing her confusion. She blinked, her short but full lashes brushing against the bottom of her eyes.

Toshiro was utterly bewildered. "Of course I would move! Who are you"

The strange girl thought for a moment before she beamed and patted the grass next to her. "Sit back down and I'll tell you" A smile spread across her face as her light-gray eyes looked at the white-haired boy with an expectant gaze. Her voice was cheery and pure, something that Toshiro rarely heard directed towards him. It didn't hold any malice or fear, she sounded as if she was talking to another _friend_.

He couldn't help himself, she sounded so innocent and harmless. He slowly sat down next to the girl – allbeit a bit farther than she had wanted - noticing that he was only slightly taller than her. The girl stared at him, her wide smile never wavering and her eyes glimmering with excitement.

"I'm..." She paused for a brief moment to add suspense. "A magician" She clasped her hands in front of her, a small laugh escaping her lips.

Now Toshiro was beginning to question the girl's sanity. "A magician...?" He repeated the words, confusion colouring his tone. The so called magician nodded her head, her short messy and spiky side bangs brushing against her right eye.

"Yep, I'm a magician" She unravelled her hands and turquoise eyes widened at what sat on her small palms. A white paper crane somehow made it's way onto her hands. _'Origami...? She knows how to do origami?' _Toshiro mused to himself at the thought of the strange girl folding papers into shapes. The girl thrusted the crane towards him, her eyes glistening in happiness. "And I came here to cast some of my magic just for you"

The white-haired boy grew even more anxious towards the burgundy-haired girl. Her 'magic' could range from a slight innocent surprise to something completely horrible or disgusting, perhaps even deadly. Although Toshiro somewhat doubted it was the latter but it could never hurt to be cautious. He steeled his gaze only for it to soften and widen in surprise.

The paper crane's wings began to _move_. It fluttered up and down, slowly lifting itself up from the girl's palms. It flew like a bird that was just learning how to fly. It staggered around for a moment before reaching a steady flapping, now able to stay in air without almost falling to the grassy floor. It flapped over to Toshiro who was in complete awe. He had never seen anything like it and he was in such disbelief that he thought it was some sort of trick but he couldn't see any strings attached to it and the girl wouldn't even be here if she had any affiliation to shinigami.

"Isn't it...magical" Her eyes softened and watched as the crane propped itself onto the boy's snow-white hair. Toshiro warily reached up to try and touch the paper bird but was disappointed when it seemed to return to it's lifeless state. "But like everything else it has to end...ahaha" The girl grew a sheepish grin. Toshiro gently grabbed the crane and studied the object, his eyes looking over each nook and cranny to try and see through the trick.

"Why...How" He was flabbergasted when he found that the origami looked like any other crane.

The girl smiled. "It's magic" Her gray orbs gazed up towards the sky before looking back at the scrutinizing boy. "Keep the crane ok! Its yours now so take care of it" She stood up and stretched her back, her long hair falling down and skimming against her knees.

"What, why?" Toshiro raised a brow at the girl who was now just standing there, her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes returning to the clear sky.

She didn't look back at the turquoise eyed boy. "You know...I'm glad that your happy now. You were sad before. That's why I cast my magic, so you could be happy" His eyes widened when she began to walk away in such a way that looked as if he would never see her again for a long time. "You never noticed right? The way you suddenly brightened up. Its magic"

Acting before thinking, Toshiro blurted out, "Wait! Whats your name" He quickly shot up and grabbed her forearm, noticing how soft and fragile she seemed in his hands.

She brushed off his arm and gave him a gentle smile. "Kazue"

Toshiro blinked, realizing what he had just done, and an embarrassed pinkish tinge coated his cheeks. "T-Toshiro" He didn't know what to do now; social things being his weakest point.

"Then I hope we meet again Toshiro" Kazue ruffled up his white-hair, slightly surprised that despite its spikey outlook it was soft and silky beneath her palms. She stuck her tongue out at him childishly and began to briskly walk off, her dark-blue kimono fluttering behind her. "Bye, bye"

xxx

Toshiro was laying down on the ticklish grass, his eyes glazed over and staring at the moving clouds above him. _'Momo...'_ A few days ago the gentle brown-haired girl suddenly stated that she would enroll into the shinigami academy in hopes of getting closer to her idol: Sosuke Aizen. And it was just the day before when she left for Shin'o Academy, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She promised that she would come visit when she could and then she was off.

His childhood friend had left him to become a shinigami. Toshiro sighed, his lips pulled into a frown. Things just weren't going well for him. First his grandma was becoming thinner and thinner day by day and the white-haired boy couldn't figure out why. All he could do was sit and watch as his parent figure's health deteriorated. Now, his only friend goes away to chase after her idol. Another sigh escaped his lips. _'Only friend huh...' _He tilted his head towards the side, his uniquely colored eyes meeting the white paper crane. It had been about three months since he met the girl known as Kazue and she just disappeared, as if her existence was erased from the world. He had thought he had somehow made a friend but she had never been seen since the encounter. It seemed as though any friend figure he made would leave him eventually.

Toshiro mused to himself and poked the crane, watching as it tilted towards the other side and fell back to a straight position. He found it strange how he still kept the piece of origami. He found it even stranger how he always brought it around with him when he was feeling gloomy or sad or anything like that. It was like he thought that it still held that spark of life and would comfort him and listen to his miseries. The strangest thing, however, was the fact that it _did _comfort him, it _did _make him feel better. It was like _magic_.

While staring at the crane, he saw a pair of small feet approach him and stop just a few feet away from his form. He looked up and a smile played on his lips. _'Speak of the devil'_

"I knew you would be here" His turquoise orbs met the pale gray ones and a large smile.

Toshiro pulled himself up into a sitting position, his head turned toward the burgundy-haired girl. "Kazue" Said girl put her hands on his hips and a bright smile graced her round face. She didn't look any different from three months ago, although she may have grown a few centimetres, but if she did it wasn't really noticable.

"Yuki" Toshiro's eyes twitched at the name. Had she forgotten his name or mistaken him for someone else? He highly doubted the latter; white-hair wasn't exactly a common sight. Deciding that the strange girl had just forgotten his name, Toshiro growled out the next words.

"Its Toshiro. It's not that hard to remember"

Kazue's lips pulled into a pout and she sat next to the slightly frustrated boy. "Yeah, I know it isn't but I like Yuki better. You're just like snow" She looked at him with those innocent eyes that only she possessed.

_'She's probably talking about my hair'_ "Yeah well don't call me that. Its Toshiro. To-shi-ro" He frowned when the girl simply blinked a few times and cocked her head to the right innocently; as if the words he had just said flew straight past her head. Sighing, he looked back up towards the sky, the clouds just drifting along the blue canvas. He glanced over at Kazue who had her elbows on her knees and her head resting on her palms. Her light gray eyes were staring up above just like he was. "How did you know I would be here"

Kazue thought for a moment. It was like some sort of force was pulling her towards this spot, attracting her, bringing her here. When she saw the white-haired boy, excitement took over and she couldn't help but find herself become even happier at the sight. It could only be one thing that brought her here. A single word, a noun that held so many meanings to her. "Magic"

Toshiro should've expected for her to say that, but anticipating what the girl would do was like trying to figure out the meaning of life. "Oh really..." Several questions plagued his mind but before he could truly think about what to say, the words had already left his lips. "What is magic"

Burgundy hair whipped around and Kazue smiled wide at the question, her eyes glistening with happiness. "I don't know" Those three words baffled him, the girl's beaming face only adding to the confusion. Sensing his confusion, the girl locked her eyes onto his. "And that's what makes magic, magic. We don't know what magic is but it still makes up happy! We're not scared of magic even though we don't know what it is" Her smile showed how proud she was and despite how childish it seemed to Toshiro, he couldn't help but slightly smile at the girl's explanation, even if it was extremely confusing.

Kazue reached into the folds of her kimono and brought out a piece of white paper. She swiftly folded the paper into a crane, clearly showing that she was an expert at the creating cranes. "Watch closely" Her words were said quietly as she brought the crane to her lips. She inhaled air through her nose then breathed it out through her lips, watching as the crane slid off her palm and into the air.

Toshiro's mouth gaped when he saw the paper bird begin to flap its wings, just like the crane Kazue had given him the first time they met. It fluttered clumsily in the air before it flew over to him and perched on his palm. It beat its paper wings a few times before it arched it's neck to face his eyes. Then, just like the other crane, it stopped moving, reverting back to its lifeless form. "Even though it lasts a short time, the memory stays forever...Isn't it magical" Kazue smiled softly at the awe-struck boy, his eyes held interest and excitement and his lips were pulled into a small smile.

Realizing that the girl had just spoken, Toshiro looked up at her. Why is it that when he was having his worst days she appeared and made it all brighter. Soon, she stood up and stretched her arms and legs. "Well, I should get going Yuki" She watched as he also stood up.

"Its Toshiro..." He mumbled the words out, his lips now in a small frown.

Then, Kazue hugged him. Toshiro froze up at the sudden closeness of their bodies, a pink tinge spreading across his sun-kissed cheeks. He felt her arms wrap around his body, pulling her closer to her's. Then, just like the cranes, the moment ended and she retracted from his body, a small smile gracing her face. "I hope we see each other again, bye bye" Her smile held something weird, out-of-place. It was something that Toshiro couldn't identify, something that just didn't seem right on her usually beaming face. Something flickered across her gray orbs before she ran off, just like the first day they had met.

And Toshiro unknowingly hoped that magic would bring them together again.

Xxx

Toshiro backed away into a hard, wooden wall, his fists balled into small fists as he glared at the two other kids, their eyes shallow as always with a large sleazy grin plastered on their faces. He watched as the two kids stepped closer, their grins growing even wider and disgusting. Turquoise orbs flitted left and right, searching for any possible escape. As the two kids approached even closer, the white-haired boy bolted to the left, his heart racing against his chest. _'Hurry, hurry, hurry'_ All he wanted to do was get out of there and never see the kids again. However, all thoughts of escape vanished when a firm hand grasped Toshiro's forearm, pulling him to the grinning children.

"Hey...we just want to play" One of them said, an innocent tone largely contrasting their menacing expressions.

"Yeah, yeah! We saw you all alone..._all alone, _so we just wanted to keep you company" The other said, making sure to emphasize the most painful words, dragging them out and making them echo in the white-haired boy's mind, causing him to grit his teeth.

Toshiro struggled against their grips, his hands flailing around him in an effort to free himself. He felt his nail scratch hard against something soft and smooth, a loud yelp being heard right after. "You freak! That was my eye" One of the kids threw him against the wooden walls, their eyes brimming with fury.

Toshiro held his hands up, his face scrunching up but his sea-green eyes never leaving the two children's faces. "Leave...me...alone...and go away!" His words caused them to snicker. One of them even going as far as to say 'Pathetic', the other responding with 'weak'.

Just as one of the kids took another step towards him, a familiar voice echoed throughout the alley. "Hey, hey! Kazue the Magician is here to save the day" All eyes turned towards the burgundy-haired girl, her hands on her hips. Her large light-grey eyes narrowed down on the scene before her, small pink lips pulling down into a frown. "And I see people hurting others! That's not very nice, you know" She shook her head.

Toshiro's eyes widened at the sight, his heart hammering and he was sure that everybody in the district could hear it. He almost face-palmed at the girl's rather...unique entrance, but that didn't matter right now. What did matter was the fact that she was here in all her glory, most likely about to get pummeled to the ground for risking herself.

"What the...Hey, isn't that the weird redhead that the others have been talking about. You know, the crazy one" One of the kids pointed.

Kazue's frown deepened. "It's rude to point!" She then proceeded to point her own fingers at the two kids, causing Toshiro to raise an eyebrow.

Grumbling something about another freak joining the freak show, the two kids cracked their knuckles, trying their best to look as intimidating as possible. It wasn't as effective seeing as how they both winced when their knuckles did crack. "Get out of here or else -ow- you're gonna get hurt!" The taller child said, rubbing his hands together behind his back, a sheepish cocky grin on his face.

The shorter red-haired girl just stayed silent for a moment before a large, goofy smile spread across her face. "I could knock you both down with just a flick of my wrist!" She said as she waved her hands off like they were nothing.

A large, angered tick mark appeared on both of the kid's foreheads. They both gritted their teeth before charging at the girl, their minds blinded by frustration and anger. As they neared her, Kazue's eyes sparkled for a moment before she flicked her wrist once, two banana peels flying out of her sleeves. Surprised, the two taller kids toppled down on top of each other after comically slipping on the fruit peels, several 'ows' coming from both troublemakers. "Why you..." One of them tried to rise, only having his hand slip on the peel again.

Kazue giggled as she grabbed Toshiro's hands, dragging him into a run towards who knows where. They made several sharp turns, both nearly falling onto each other, before reaching the large grassy plain where she had given him his second crane. "Whooo...Hope that they aren't too badly hurt..." The shorter girl stated, looking back in the direction they had just ran from, her voice laced with genuine concern.

Toshiro just blinked, his mind processing all the things that had just happened. She really did knock both of the kids down with just a flick of her wrist. "Umm...Kazue...?" He nervously tapped the girl's shoulders.

Kazue turned around, her grey orbs holding no trace of malice, her lips pulled into a small smile. "Hey, Toshiro. It's been a while!" She exclaimed, another silly grin gracing her face.

"Why did you...save me?" His turquoise gaze locked with her grey one.

The burgundy-haired girl looked at the slightly taller boy like he had just said the most craziest thing ever. "Why? Because you're my precious friend of course!" She stated as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

Toshiro blinked, his mouth agape and his eyes wide in surprise. Before he could retort, Kazue put her hands on her hips, a large smile spreading across her face, her eyes gentle and...loving. "You were the only one who didn't run away from me or call me something weird...You were the only one who liked my magic and you looked so happy when you saw it. Too the point where it made me super duper happy! I've always wanted somebody to show me a super happy smile just by seeing my epic magic! Your smile made me smile!"

The white-haired boy just stood there, utterly baffled and...ecstatic. He had made another person joy-filled just from being happy himself. He felt wanted, needed...important. As if his life wasn't meaningless and that he actually did something useful, something that made another person smile.

Xxx

He walked down the wooden hallway, the wooden sandals making soft clacks on the floor. He unconsciously straightened the turquoise sash that held his sword and checked the chain. A relieved sigh escaped his lips when he saw the two white cranes hanging from his zanpakuto's chain. It had been over two years since he saw the so called 'magician' and he couldn't believe that he still held onto the pieces of origami and the lingering feeling that they'll meet again. Toshiro had never forgotten the girl, everything she did and said was unforgettable. They had only spoken with each other very few times but those meetings were engraved in his memory. A small smile found it's way onto his face. He had a feeling it had something to do with how the cranes still made him feel better whenever he was down.

The white-haired student made his way to the meeting room. The teachers had stated that he would be graduating this year and be assigned a squad immediately. They were calling him a _prodigy _for only finishing the curriculum in just a single year and in all honesty, he took pride in that fact. He worked his butt off, pushed himself to the limits, he trained and practiced so hard to become better, stronger.

"Man, a prodigy huh"

"They're just coming one after another nowadays"

Toshiro could hear the faint whispers from the other students around him as he briskly walked through the halls. He held a steady gaze forward, ignoring all the envious and admiring glares alike. He wasn't surprised to hear that he wasn't the only prodigy there was; there were all sorts of people in the Soul Society. His thoughts momentarily reverted back towards the burgundy-haired girl before shifting onto the important matter at hand.

The large wooden doors made an irritatingly loud screech when Toshiro pushed them open. His icy blue gaze rested upon the several other graduating students and speculating captains and lieutenants. He strided over to his childhood friend, her brown eyes staring at the fifth division captain, her orbs sparkling with admiration. He found it somewhat laughable how the two friends would graduate in the same year. Then, he looked over the several shinigami that were analyzing the students, scrutinizing them. In all honesty, Toshiro didn't really care which division he was assigned to, it wasn't like it would change what he would be doing majorly. Unless it was the fourth or twelfth division, which he highly doubted he would join considering he had very limited knowledge on what the squads specialized in.

"Ahem" All eyes were on the speaker. She was one of the teachers at the academy that taught kido and she had a rather infamous reputation for being strict. Toshiro involuntarily shivered when he remembered the one time he was late to class. "Now that we are all he- wait where is the tenth division" The teacher's golden eyes switched from right to left to all over the place, looking for any sign of the tenth division captain.

They were all caught off-guard when the doors leading to the outside suddenly bursted open, revealing a rather short girl breathing heavily. "Ahahaha...sorry that I'm late. Captain Shiba said to come and recruit by myself so yeah" She quickly made her way towards the captains, taking her spot in between the ninth division captain and eleventh division captain. She had extremely long dark red hair that looked as if it held tints of purple that was pulled into a low ponytail. Her sidebangs were neatly swept to the right, revealing her odd almost-white gray eyes. A lieutenant's badge was tightly strapped on her right arm, the number '10' written in large black strokes. She had a white sash that stretched from her left shoulder to her right hip, presumably used to carry her zanpakuto.

The strict teacher nearly crumpled up her papers and threw them on the floor before taking deep breaths, trying very hard to keep her composure. Straightening her back, she spoke with a strained voice. "N-Now then, with all the divisions gathered here, let us begin" As soon as the last words left her mouth, the room erupted into chatter as the students walked up to the squads they wanted to join and the few special students that caught any captain's attention was greeted by them themselves. Toshiro swiftly made his way to a less-populated area of the room, the loud chattering was just too much and it was interrupting his thinking.

He leaned against the walls, his eyes staring blankly off into space. He had just saw her. The girl who was practically unforgettable. She had left for two years to become a shinigami and even made it to be a lieutenant. Now this shocked him; he was not expecting that girl to be able to even hold a sword without throwing it towards some poor civilian on accident. But then here she was, looking for recruits for the tenth division. The girl undoubtably saw him, he was sure of it. Besides, white-hair would stick out anywhere.

"Well hey there kid" Toshiro blinked a few times before realizing that someone had spoken to him. His gaze turned towards a rather tall figure with a pink flowered kimono draped atop what seemed to be a captain's haori. Anybody could recognize from the signature straw hat and kimono that this was the rather infamous Shunsui Kyoraku, captain of the eighth division. Rumors has it that the captain constantly skipped out on his work and had an unhealthy addiction to sake. "I see you haven't joined any division yet" The white-haired student could see a smile forming on the captain's lips.

Before he could say anything else, a certain red-haired girl crashed into the wall next to the bewildered Toshiro, causing him to jump back in surprise. "Owww...I should not approach any eleventh division members for another year or two" Kazue jumped up onto her feet, her hands rubbing the back of her slightly sore head.

The eighth division captain chuckled at the sight before his grin grew wider. "Well well well, if it isn't the Little Crane. Pissed off the eleventh division again huh"

The 'Little Crane' returned the captain's grin with a pout. "I don't get why they don't like my origami" Then, as if she had just noticed him, her gray gaze turned towards the confused Toshiro, his sea-green eyes widened from shock and surprise. Within a few nano seconds, Kazue pulled out a paper white rose from pratically thin air and handed it to the white-haired student. "Please join the tenth division"

Toshiro gaped. Did she not remember him? Sure it has been well over two years but even his white hair was far from forgettable. He looked down at the paper rose in his hands, noticing how fragile it felt in his palms. Without really thinking – which he seemed to be doing a lot when it came to the strange redhead, much to his chagrin – he blurted out the next words. "Ok..." It was said in a rather questioning and confused tone but he had no time to think about when Kazue suddenly beamed and yelled out a 'Yay'.

"Aw...the tenth division has taken another shinigami I wanted..." Kyoraku adjusted his hat before walking off in a sulking manner, his pink kimono fluttering behind him.

Kazue quickly grabbed Toshiro's hands and bolted out the door, using shunpo to speedily reach the tenth division barracks. When they reached a wooden door, she bursted them open and led the baffled white-haired recruit inside. "Captain, look look, here's a recruit" The two met a man sitting behind a desk, his chair rocking back and forth.

"Huh" The tenth division captain, Isshin Shiba, opened his eyes drowsily and stared at the two shinigami before straightening his posture and grinning. "Hey there Kazue! Who's this" He raised a questioning brow at the white-haired boy standing before him.

Before Toshiro could answer for himself, the still-beaming redhead spoke up. "It's our new third seat" Her eyes were glimmering with excitement and her lips were pulled into a large, fun-loving smile. "Look, he's super strong! It says so on the paper" She pulled out a paper from the folds of her black shihakusho and set it on the desk in front of the scrutinizing captain.

Isshin skimmed through the paper before setting his gaze onto Toshiro. "Well we have to find out for ourselves whether this kid is worthy of the title of a prodigy" From the captain's tone, it sounded like he was just looking for something to soothe his boredom and he just happened to find himself in a compromising position. "Hey kid, what's your name"

Toshiro snapped. "I am _not _a kid you old man. It's Toshiro Hitsugaya" He blinked a few times before realizing what he had just said to a _captain_ and an embarrassed tint flushed his cheeks.

Isshin erupted into laughter. "Hahaha, I like a kid who can stand up for himself. It shows real courage ya know. Ok, kid. As a little test let's have you have a friendly spar against my lieutenant here" He cocked his head towards the burgundy-haired girl.

Kazue's smile faltered for a split moment, and it didn't go unnoticed by the child prodigy. Her eyes lost their shine to them before she saluted the captain. "Yes sir, captain" She swiveled on her heel to face Toshiro, her hands clasped behind her back and a gentle tone taking over her lips. "But before that, you're going to have to get changed" She handed him a shihakusho she basically pulled out of nowhere and pushed him towards a bathroom.

Toshiro just stood there in the room, his mind processing all the things that had just happened. Did they all really just happen? Or was he at his dorm still dozing off and this was all a dream? He flinched when he pinched himself, only confirming his thoughts that this was indeed reality and that he did meet the strange girl again. And by the looks of it, his old friend didn't remember him.

If this was magic, then it had quite the way of doing things.

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Holy smokes! My fingers were blazing across the keyboard while I was typing this down. I'm super excited to start writing the next chapter. Anyways, review to put a huge smile on my face! Critisizm is welcomed. Ciao Ciao~


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N) Heya! So, for all the people who were wondering where Rangiku is...well, don't worry. I will never make any bleach character nonexistent. Hm...I don't really have anything else to put here! Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Swan dive, into all these words!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my OC's!

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Ch.2

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"Alright, remember to keep this as a friendly fight! I don't want anybody going to the fourth division, got it? And try not to destroy anything" Isshin gave a quick thumbs-up before taking his place near a tree, enjoying the shade it gave from the summer heat. He watched as the two younger shinigami stood somewhat far away from him, their fronts facing each other.

Toshiro found himself squirming slightly in his new shinigami attire. Just like the academy uniform, he couldn't find himself getting comfortable in the black fabric that composed the shihakusho. Noticing that the girl in front of him did a brief stretch and reached behind her to grasp a white hilt, he positioned himself in a fighting pose and also reached for the blue hilt of his zanpakuto. He was hesitant in drawing his sword in front of an old friend, even if she didn't remember him.

"Normally we would be using wooden swords but I wouldn't be able to properly gauge your power if we were. After all, we would be holding back, even if you think you aren't" Kazue slid her zanpakuto out of its sheath, her light grey eyes never leaving sea-green. "So obviously, don't hold back ok? Well, without releasing your zanpakuto of course. I don't think the tenth division could pay for any damages done" She added a playful laugh and held her sword in front of her, both hands clasped on the white fabric of the hilt. It was slightly longer than a regular sword but also thinner than what would be considered normal. A chain extended from the hilt. The metal was short but at the end was what looked like a paper talisman dangling off.

"Got it" Toshiro mirrored her actions, bringing his sword in front of him as if he was fighting an enemy. "Sorry if I injure you"

Kazue smiled briefly before dashing forward and swinging her sword up, only to be parried easily by the on-guard shinigami. "Nice reflexes, it's reassuring" She jumped back and blocked Toshiro's own attack, the force on the sword pushing her back. The lieutenant took note of how the air seemed to become colder, the hairs on her back standing up from the sudden change in temperature. Kazue swiftly brought her sword down and swiped to the left, the blade only meeting air. _'He's fast' _Her eyes darted to the right as did her zanpakuto, sparks flying from the clashing blades.

All hesitation disappeared from his mind when the girl had swiftly charged at him, Toshiro now realizing that the lieutenant was being serious when she said not to hold back. He swung his sword in a horizontal arc and then brought it down, soon jumping back to avoid any more exchanges. He sidestepped to dodge a frontal pierce, only to notice that the chain connected to his zanpakuto lagged to the left of him. He watched with wide eyes as Kazue's sword pierced the strings that held both paper cranes, the fragile pieces of paper flying into the air, straight into the line of sword tip. Without a second thought, he rushed forward, his hands outstretched to grab the cranes, his heart hammering; not because of the pain that was to come, no it was because he was _scared_. Scared that two of his treasures would be gone, two of the things that held so many memories for him. The things that always somehow comforted him, no matter how insane that sounded to others. The two cranes were magic, his favorite magic.

Kazue's eyes widened to an unbelievable size. "What are you doing" She screamed out, her heart racing at a thousands miles an hour. She couldn't stop her sword, it was too late. The sound of flesh being torn echoed throughout her ears along with a pained gasp. The sounds were horrible, disgusting, agonizing. Her grey eyes watched as Toshiro fell to the ground, crimson tainting the edges of his snow-white hair. Blood seeped from the large gash, dyeing the front of his black shihakusho a deep red, and for a second he thought it looked like Kazue's hair.

His turquoise orbs grew dim and dull. The edges of Toshiro's vision faded to a black, the last thing he saw being the two cranes laying just a few centimeters in front of him, crimson running along the edges of their white paper body. And when he saw that, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

The lieutenant dropped her sword, the metal making loud clacking sounds when it hit the ground. She didn't even look back at it; she couldn't. She wouldn't be able to. The sight of _his _blood dripping down her _own _sword was too much for her, it was disgusting and revolting. She slowly walked over to his fallen body, little wet droplets falling down from her face and onto the ground a few inches from the blood. Without so much as a word, she swiped at her wrist, making sure to cut a large vein.

Isshin ran over to the two shinigami, his face paling from the sight. Kazue held her bleeding wrist above Toshiro's body, her blood gushing out and raining onto the already bloodied body, heavy raspy breaths escaping the child prodigy's lips. He was absolutely speechless, his mind processing what was going on. Then, he heard her murmur a few words, and his heart dropped.

Xxx

Sea-green eyes fluttered open, meeting a white ceiling. Immediately, pain racked his body, especially his stomach area. He let out a pained gasp, his face crunching up from the sudden feeling. However, despite all the pain, he felt more alive than ever, as if he was brimming with life despite his giant wound.

"Yuki"

Toshiro's eyes snapped open, all thoughts of the pain dispersing from his mind. His head slowly turned around to the side only to meet a certain burgundy-haired lieutenant. It had been so long since he had heard the nickname, and despite his natural dislike for it, he found himself actually grateful that she had called him that. "Kazue..."

"You can be such an idiot sometimes..." Kazue gripped the black fabric of her shihakusho, her usually light grey orbs now darker, as if they were raining clouds. "You really are like snow" She uttered out the words with a strained voice, as if she was trying to be upbeat. "I'm so sorry" She repeated the words endlessly, as if she was a broken record unable to play anything else.

The events that had occurred before all went black replayed in Toshiro's mind, his eyes widening in realization. Before he could say anything, the door bursted open, revealing the tenth division captain, his breaths coming out in short, uneven gasps. When he saw the awoken white-haired shinigami, he let out a relieved sigh and walked over to the edge of the bed. "You really had me worried there kid" And as if he had just saw his lieutenant, the captain's eyes briefly widened. "Kazue...? What are you doing here!? You need to be resting after you did that" The captain yelled out the words, worry and anger coloring his voice.

"I will not apologize for my actions. I was the one who caused Yuki all this pain so I have to be here until he recovers" She spoke the words with such a determined voice, any passerby would've never guessed all the sorrow she was going through.

Isshin glared furiously at his stubborn lieutenant. "I don't care about that! You can't be going around after you did that! You shouldn't even be awake right now! You need to get back to sleeping"

Toshiro looked at the two shinigami in confusion. What had the lieutenant done that caused the usually nonchalant captain to go fuming just because she wasn't sleeping? He was about to ask but Isshin continued his scolding.

"You of all people should know the amount of strain it puts on your body" Then, the captain's voice softened to an almost hushed tone. "Please...rest. Your reiatsu is dangerously low" Only then did Toshiro notice that he barely even felt her spiritual pressure.

Kazue remained silent, her orbs never leaving Toshiro's body. "What did you do" He finally asked, his gaze hardening but hints of worry dotted his eyes. Anxiety built up in his mind from the lack of response, his hands clenching the white sheets draped over him. "Kazue, tell me. What happened" This time his voice was more firmer, more demanding, more desperate.

The lieutenant reached her hand out towards him before reeling back, as if her touch would cause him pain. "Art of the Paper God number 100: Creation. By giving you my blood, I will be able to transfer a large portion of my spiritual energy to the recipient in an extremely short amount of time. The recipient will also heal from any wounds much faster and will continuously receive any spiritual energy I would normally absorb until all their wounds have healed or until I would have willed for it to stop" She sounded as if she was reciting some sort of text.

"What" Toshiro gaped, his mind registering what the girl had just said. She had went to such lengths so that he would have no chance of dying, she did all that, she suffered through all that, just for _him_. Why? _Why?_ "No! Stop this right now"

"And let you suffer alone because of what I had done? It was _my_ blade that pierced you and it shall be _my_ responsibility to get you back on your feet" A sad smile found its way onto her lips, and it looked absolutely horrible on her usually beaming face. "Besides, we're going to need you at the tenth division as our third seat...Rangiku can't keep up with all the..." Her words faded into slurs as she collapsed, luckily, on the couch behind her, heavy breaths escaping her mouth. "T...Toshiro"

Isshin swiftly picked up the sleeping lieutenant and laid her properly on the couch, draping a nearby blanket on top of her resting form. "She's finally going to get some sleep" A relieved sight could be heard from the captain. He turned towards the shocked Toshiro. "And kid, get some rest too. You should be all healed up in about a week"

The child prodigy pointed warily at the snoozing lieutenant. "She's going to be alright once she gets some rest right" His brows were creased in concern, his lips forming a sheepish frown. If he hadn't dove for the cranes, they both wouldn't be in this situation and causing this mess. A pang of guilt resonated within him, his frown deepening.

"She'll be asleep until you're fully healed. This is the way her zanpakuto keeps her from dying; it makes her enter a coma-like state to prevent any usage of spiritual energy. So get better soon, alright kiddo" Isshin waved a brief goodbye towards the younger shinigami before exiting the room to explain the situation to Captain Unohana.

"I'm not a kid" Toshiro muttered out the words while clutching at the white sheets. His words sounded unbelievable to him. He glanced at the sleeping red-haired girl, her face crunched up in fatigue and her chest raising and falling in uneven intervals. _'Kazue...' _His gaze rested on the two cranes sitting on the table next to his bed. Crimson tinges tainted their usual clear white, forever reminding him of everything that had just happened. This time they didn't give him comfort.

They gave him pain.

Xxx

It had been about a week and a half since the incident had occurred. Toshiro was allowed out of hospitalization but was prohibited from any fighting for another two weeks. Now, all he was able to do was help with paperwork and oversee the tenth squad members. Kazue, on the other hand, was practically in the same boat as him; she was unable to engage in any physical activities and was left to also help with papers, which she did half-heartedly.

Things were different between the two tenth squad shinigami. They were no longer the same children in the first District of the West Rukongai; Kazue rarely called him 'Yuki' and now usually used 'Shiro-chan', much to his annoyance. He had long given up trying to have her call him by his actual name. Not only that, the lieutenant seemed to try to avoid his turquoise orbs, now looking down at the floor whenever they talked to each other. And their talks were incredibly short and..._awkward_. They were very rarely casual and the two only seemed to speak to one another when it was about work or anything along those lines.

Toshiro sighed as he scribbled down something onto the paper before him, his brush moving at a slower-than-normal pace.

"Ugh...Captain Shiba, why must you always have to be so lazy" Fourth seat Rangiku walked into the office, a pile of papers in her palms. She walked over to Kazue's desk and laid the stack down. "Here's some more papers that need looking over Lieutenant Kaneshiro"

Kazue didn't even look up as she wrote her signature down on some random piece of paper. "What are they about" She grabbed the next piece of paper, scanning through it all while listening to the busty fourth seat recount what she had read/heard.

"Two more shinigami have died in Naruki City. Captain Shiba is going to investigate, and he's supposedly going alone" A snapping sound could be heard in the room. "Lieutenant Kaneshiro, please stop breaking anymore brushes" Rangiku hastily replaced the brush, which was snapped in two, with a new, completely intact one.

Kazue suddenly stood up from her desk and held her hand out in front of her, grey orbs never leaving the table below. The fourth seat placed a few papers on the outstretched hand and sighed when the lieutenant quickly flash-stepped out of the room, leaving the piles of paperwork on her desk to be finished for later.

Only then did Toshiro look up from his own paperwork, staring at the open door that led to the outside. "Where did she go, it's not like her to leave unfinished paperwork"

Rangiku flipped through the less important documents in place of the captain and lieutenant. "Whenever a shinigami of our division passes away, she always goes to inform their families personally. It's one of the reasons why she's so respected...Takes a lot to tell a family that one of their own has died" She looked down at the papers with a solemn gaze before rereading each document.

Toshiro stared out the door wide-eyed, his brush no longer speeding through each paper. She did all of that _alone_. _Alone_. She was burdened with so much all alone, even if she herself was down she would still inform the families. "That idiot..." Toshiro muttered out the words under his breath, aggravation clear in his tone as he tightened his grip on his brush. Another snapping sound resonated throughout the office.

Rangiku looked up from her documents, sighing at the sight of another broken brush. "You people should stop wasting brushes like this" Just like the one Kazue had broken, his own brush was replaced with another one.

After about ten minutes, the lieutenant returned to the office. "It's about time you're back-" Toshiro stopped when he saw her face: there was a large cut ranging from her nose to the ends of her cheek and another shorter cut running down the bottom of her left eye, which were both daintily covered up with a small band aid. "What happened to you? And you're not supposed to put band aids on like that" He swiftly made his way towards Kazue, who was just standing there, her lips pulled into a relaxed straight line and her eyes staring questioningly at the third seat. He replaced the band aid on the bleedings cuts with a new band aid, careful to apply disinfectant.

"Um, thanks...I guess? I mean...it's not even that fatal. One of the families just got a bit angry" Kazue stated in a normal tone as she sat down on the couch beside Rangiku while mildly poking the new band aids. She flinched when she accidently applied too much pressure on one of the pokes out of curiosity.

Toshiro sighed as he put away the small box containing medical equipment. He often got injuries during his time in Rukongai and learned how to effectively treat smaller wounds like scrapes and small cuts. He involuntarily shivered when he remembered a time when he ignored one of his smaller cuts and it evolved into something much...greater. "You should always treat your wounds, not matter how small or insignificant it seems"

Rangiku frowned at the lieutenant sitting beside her. "You don't need to inform them if you know they're just going to attack you"

"I don't care if they attack me. Heck, they have every right to attack me but I at the very least have to honor their deaths" Kazue shifted through a few documents, lazily reading through the jumbles of black text.

"Well it's not like you have to go alone" Toshiro neatly rearranged the papers, putting them in nice little piles.

Kazue shook her head even though she knew that he wasn't looking. "It's not something that you have to do. I chose to do this and I won't force anybody to go along with me" Toshiro wondered when the girl had grown to act so responsible.

"You're such an idiot" Now this caused the burgundy-haired girl to look up from her papers, her grey eyes staring at him in confusion. Toshiro stared right back. "Who said anything about it being forced"

The lieutenant was about to retort when the door suddenly opened, and not in a quiet way either. The captain walked in and when he saw all the neat stacks of finished paperwork on his desk, he immediately turned to the white-haired shinigami. "Toshiro! Look at all of this finished paperwork! Oh, it's so beautiful" Isshin lifted the smaller shinigami up in the air, happy that he wouldn't have to do any of the papers. "Indeed, I have a feeling you're going to make a great captain one day" He nodded his head in satisfaction before setting the boy down.

Rangiku threw her documents onto the table and pointed at the girl sitting besides her. "Hey! Considering rankings, wouldn't she be the next captain"

Kazue jumped up and pointed at Toshiro, a large smile colouring her face. "Nah, Shiro-chan should be captain! I hate paperwork anyways. Too much work being a captain" And then there goes Toshiro's thought of the girl becoming responsible. "I'm nowhere close to bankai anyways" She walked over next to the third seat, noticing how they were pretty much the same height. "Hey, I grew" She clasped her hands together in joy.

"My bankai training is going well. I'll be fine" Toshiro mumbled out, trying his best to ignore the girl's last comment and her use of his nickname 'Shiro-Chan'. Damn Hinamori for thinking up that nickname up and using it in front of the lieutenant!

"Yeah! Oh by the way, Shiba, Rangiku said that you were going to go to the World of the Living" Kazue folded her arms in front of her chest, her eyes glued to the captain.

Isshin looked over at his lieutenant, noting the hints of seriousness in her usual fun-loving gaze. "I am. I just came to tell you guys that I'm going to go investigate, and I thought you stopped calling people without their titles" Once he stated the last word and noticed how the lieutenant wasn't going to respond, he spun on his heel and began running out, only to be stopped by Rangiku.

"Hey, wait! You're going now? Alone" The captain spun around on his heel once more and gave a thumbs up towards the fourth seat.

"Yep, do my work for me will you. I'll just be gone for a few days" And with that, he was speeding off into the distance. "And start calling people by their titles will ya Kazue! It might save you from some trouble in the future" He yelled out right before using shunpo to get to who knows where.

Rangiku looked over at the other two occupants of the office, her brows creased with worry. "Won't this be a dangerous mission though? Shouldn't we go with him" Kazue merely stared out the open door, her eyes locked on the blue sky, the clouds drifting by aimlessly.

"No...just leave the captain be. He knows this is a dangerous mission that's why he's going alone. We would just get in his way at our current power" Anyone could tell that Toshiro wanted to go as well; his voice strained and his eyes downcast.

"Lieutenant Kaneshiro..." Rangiku looked towards the second-in-command, hoping that she would give a good excuse to chase after the captain. When the fourth seat got nothing in response, she just stormed out of the office and towards her room. She knew that out of all three of them it was the lieutenant who wanted to go the most. Ever since she had transferred into the tenth division one year ago, the burgundy-haired girl held deep admiration for the captain and would follow his steps and morals.

Xxx

It had been two months since the captain had left for the World of the Living, _again_. When he first came back to the seireitei after the investigation, it only took a few days for him to suddenly return. Now There were several shinigami dispatched to search for the missing tenth division captain. With his absence, it left Kazue to deal with most of the captain duties, except for paperwork which she just had Toshiro and Rangiku do unless it was really important.

"Lieutenant Kaneshiro" A faceless shinigami approached the sulking lieutenant. Kazue looked up, dark circles under her eyes. "There is an emergency meeting. Please report to the Assembly Hall immediately" And with that, the shinigami used shunpo to leave.

Kazue quickly made her way to the hall, taking her place in between the ninth and eleventh captains in place of her currently missing captain. The booming voice of the head captain echoed throughout the large room. "We are here today to discuss the missing captain of the tenth division, Captain Isshin Shiba"

Yamamoto scanned the room before continuing. "Central 46 has declared that the search will hereby end! It has been determined that Captain Isshin Shiba is dead" The last words swam in Kazue's mind, her mouth gaping and her eyes wide.

"But Head Captain Yamamoto" Kazue yelled out, her thoughts a jumble and her mind not comprehending what was going on. "Please, give me more time" Her voice was filled with desperation, disbelief that her captain was dead.

"Silence Lieutenant Kaneshiro. Central 46 have made their final decision and they shall not be questioned. Time has run out. Is that clear" When he received a slight bob of the head, the head captain banged his staff on the floor. "Dismissed"

Kazue walked towards the tenth division barracks, her grey eyes resembling the storming clouds above. They were glazed over and her lips were pulled downwards. She staggered over to the office only to collapse onto her knees. "Kazue" The familiar voice of her third seat reached her ears. She heard quick footsteps coming towards her, certain that he was now just a few inches away from her fallen form. "Oi, Kazue" Toshiro knelt down and lightly shook the lieutenant.

His eyes widened at the sight before him. "Hey, answer me" His voice grew in volume as he shook the girl harder this time, each shake more frantic than the last. "Answer me" He finally yelled out, shaking her hard enough to make her fall onto her bottom. The lieutenant just stared blankly at him, her mouth slightly parted. Then, his heart dropped. Her orbs began to glisten before tears fell, streaming down her cheeks and onto the wooden floor beneath them. Each tear was replaced with two more, her side bangs swept back to reveal every droplet. Toshiro stared at her in disbelief; the girl had never cried before, she had never shown signs of crying no matter how bad the situation got. She always found a way to stay at least somewhat upbeat. She was always the one who comforted others, it was never the other way around.

Tears continued to stream down her face. She was cold, very cold, too cold. She felt hollow on the inside, like her heart had been ripped out of her very being. All she could see was blurs, but it wasn't like it mattered. Nothing did anymore. She had cared, she searched everyday for him when she could. But no, it didn't matter anymore, she didn't have to care anymore, she didn't have the right to care. Her devotion was hollow, gone. She felt empty.

Toshiro reached into the folds of his shihakusho and pulled the fragile object out carefully. "Look" He held out a sky blue paper crane, although it did have several dents in it like it had to be refolded several times just to get the right shape. Kazue's eyes widened at the sight; she had never seen someone other than her make a crane.

He knew what he was going to do would look ridiculous. He brought the crane up to his lips and let out a large breath of air, watching as the paper object flew into the air from the sudden force. Grey orbs watched the crane float aimlessly in the air, slowly descending towards the ground. "It's magic" Kazue's eyes shot up to meet his turquoise. She felt warmth build up inside her and she didn't feel empty anymore. A small smile spread across her lips. He cared.

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Um...I don't really know about the ending. I feel like it could've been better. Oh well! The next chapter will begin the ryoka arc thingy. Yaaaay, time for you to get ready to read something you've probably all read a billion times already. Hehe, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Review, it'll make my day! Ciao Ciao~


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N): Hey, back for another chapter! Oh man I love writing this series. Also, I will be altering some things in the storyline to...fit my purposes 8D, but isn't that what pratically all fanfictions do? Meh, you get my point. Hmmm...well, that's about it. As usual, hope you all enjoy this chapter c: Swim, through the flow of words!

Also, thinking about changing the POV to 1st person...huh...

Disclaimer: I DUN OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MER OC'S

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ch.3

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She nudged the wooden handle of the brush, watching as it rolled back and forth. For a brief moment, her eyes flitted towards the pile of unfinished paperwork before looking back at the rolling brush. She quickly nudged it harder, causing the writing utensil to tip-off the edge of her wooden desk and fall onto the floor making clacking sounds.

She heard a sigh escape a certain someone's lips. "Kaneshiro...what are you doing?" Light grey eyes turned towards the white-haired captain.

"I'm bored" Toshiro continued to fill out the papers, his gaze not even shifting towards his lieutenant. A scowl painted his face at the girl's response, a vein close to popping on his forehead.

"Then why don't you do all of your paperwork for once" Kazue frowned at his obvious answer, her lips forming a pout. She swiftly stood up from her seat and made her way towards the captain's desk, purposely staggering left and right. She propped her hands onto the wood, effectively crunching up a few papers in the process.

Now the vein popped onto his forehead. Turquoise orbs looked up from the sheets, his attention now focused on the burgundy-haired girl who had a curious expression on her face. His scowl deepened as he set his brush aside next to another stack of unfinished paperwork. "Ne, Ne, Captain. Is it true?" Kazue stared at Toshiro's face, her eyes taking in the irritated look on his face.

"If you're talking about Rukia Kuchiki's execution...then yes" The tenth division captain shuffled his papers, beginning to organize them. He knew that the lieutenant was close friends with the Kuchiki Princess, even being acquainted on friendly terms with the stoic older brother. He remembered this time when he walked in on Kazue having a conversation with the sixth division captain; a _normal_ conversation. Well, the Kuchiki Heir was being less...intimidating during the talk. And that alone was enough to baffle Toshiro.

"Hmmm" She hummed in a thoughtful tune, her lids covering her eyes, a small frown plastered on her face. She nodded her head left to right before her eyes popped open and she suddenly stood up. "I guess..." Grey orbs looked down at the white-haired captain. Over the years, the two didn't grow a single centimeter, and it bothered both of them, but that was besides the point at the moment. "I'm going to go drop some papers off at the third division. They got some stuff mixed up with ours" Kazue waltzed over to her desk, picking up a small stack of papers, and headed straight for the door.

"Wait" Toshiro looked at the lieutenant who was staring at him from behind the papers. He was half-wondering whether or not the girl was lying and just trying to make the third division do her work but he doubted the girl was _that_ lazy. Only Matsumoto did those kind of things nowadays. "Watch out for Ichimaru...he's planning something devious and I don't want you getting into any kind of trouble" Kazue gave him a slight bob of the head, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Thanks for worrying about me Captain, that's so sweet of you" Her tone was a far cry from mocking and was closer to genuine gratitude. "I'll give Captain Ichimaru a paper crane. Maybe that'll keep him from doing anything bad" Her smile grew wider but Toshiro only shook his head at her words.

"Kaneshiro, I'm being serious. Stay. Away. From. Trouble"

"I won't make any promises...but I'll try to stay alive" Kazue winked and waved towards the captain before disappearing behind the office door, leaving a genuinely concerned Toshiro staring at the wooden frame. He ran a hand through his snow-white hair, a sigh escaping his lips. He knew what the girl was planning, and he wasn't liking it at all. Not one bit of it.

Xxx

"Lieutenant Kira" Kazue popped her head towards the doorway leading to the third division office, her eyes scanning the area, looking for a certain blonde lieutenant.

"Well, well. If it aint' the Little Crane. What a s'prise" There was only one person that Kazue knew with that accent and sarcastic tone. She turned her head to meet the third division captain, Ichimaru Gin. She found it somewhat funny how just a few minutes ago her captain was telling her to watch out for the fox-face but she ended up coming across him anyways. "More misplaced papers? Them shinigami should watch where they put the little ol' papers. They could be important" He tilted his head towards the small stack of papers in her hands, his signature grin never wavering.

Kazue grinned back at the captain. She was never truly creeped out by his grin. People said it was because it was like the smile could see past everything and straight into your thoughts and all that kind of stuff, but to the lieutenant she found that reason confusing. It wasn't like there was anything to really hide unless you were lying to the fox-faced captain. Why should you hide if you've done nothing wrong?

Her thoughts turned towards her conversation with the captain earlier. Kazue thought to herself for a moment before walking into the office, quickly setting the papers on the nearest desk, and then made her way towards the exit. She found it odd how whenever the papers were mixed up and she went to return it she would find the third division captain. She found it weirder how the papers even got mixed up that often. It wasn't like the delivery people to confuse the division's papers.

"Well, I've done what I needed to do. I'll be off now Captain Ichimaru, see ya later" Kazue turned on her heel, ready to walk back to her own division and enjoy the scenery along the way, only prolonging her inevitable fate of doing all her unfinished paperwork.

"Aww, leavin' so soon are ya?" Gin's frowned comically before grinning once more. "Why don't'cha stay fer some tea or somethin'. I'm sure Izuru would like chur' company, once he gets back of course"

Kazue blinked, processing the captain's words. "Hmm...no thanks. Captain Hitsugaya's in a bad mood today. Matsumoto has been off drinking the entire day" She gave a quick wave towards the fox-faced captain, noticing how his grin faltered for a split second.

"The little captain givin' ya some work? Aint' that a bit cruel of him" Gin's voice was dripping with sarcasm. Kazue looked up at the silver-haired captain, wondering why he kept stopping her from leaving.

The tenth division lieutenant gave a bright smile. "Nah, I just don't do my work" Her smile was filled with pride. Then, an idea popped into her mind and a smirk crossed her features. "Oh, I know what you're doing Captain Ichimaru!" The girl nodded to herself.

"Oh? And what would I be doin'?" Gin's grin grew even wider.

Kazue beamed at the third division captain, her eyes glistening with excitement. "You're just lonely since Lieutenant Kira isn't here and you can't bully him!" Before he could retort, the girl quickly pulled out a white paper crane, handing it to the grinning captain. "Here, here. This'll keep you company! Now, if you'll excuse me...I'm going to head back to my division! Bye, bye" She gave a comical salute and used shunpo, disappearing in a flash.

Gin looked down at the crane in his palms, his grin widening to an unbelievable size before he crushed the piece of origami and threw it into the breeze.

Xxx

Kazue's smile faltered, her lips now forming a frown. She glanced back at the shrinking sight of the third division barracks before staring forward. She quickly skidded to a stop, stopping just a few feet away from a certain brown-haired captain, his glasses shining from the sun's rays.

"Captain Aizen" The burgundy-haired shinigami gave a quick bow, her light grey eyes locked on the smiling fifth division captain.

A gentle smile spread across the captain's lips, his brown eyes looking down on the lieutenant with a gleam of curiosity. "Lieutenant Kaneshiro. Where are you going in such a rush?"

Kazue gave a small smile as she scratched the back of her head. "I'm heading back to the tenth division. Is there anything you needed Captain Aizen?" The girl was a bit anxious around the fifth division captain, she always was. His smile was just..._off._ It didn't look like anybody elses' smile, it looked nothing like a smile. She found the captain to be...weird...and a bit creepy at times with the way the light hits his glasses.

"Nothing...Nothing at all...Well, do stay safe. It would be a shame if anything happened to you" The brown-haired captain walked off, his white haori fluttering behind him. Kazue stared at his shrinking form, a confused tint in her orbs, before flash-stepping off, his words making her feel uncomfortable.

Xxx

As she approached the tenth division barracks, Kazue noticed her captain walking through a wooden hallway. Grinning, she quickly hid her reiatsu and landed a few yards away, carefully making sure no sounds could be heard from her.

**insert shark attack music**

_Thump...thump...thump..._

"BOO!"

"UWAGH"

"Hehehe, hi chibi-chan" Kazue snickered, a large smile spread wide across her face. Her hands were wrapped around the captain's body, pulling him towards her's. When she lept onto him, she pulled him down and now they were both collapsed on top of each other, Toshiro's back to her chest.

"K-Kaneshiro!" A pinkish tint coloured his sun-kissed skin as he registered the rise and fall of something soft right below his back. He felt the low rumbling of the lieutenant giggling, causing the soft substance to thrum against his back. "Let go of me!" He squirmed under her vice-like grip, only to earn another giggle from her, a warm breath tickling his neck. And then he recalled her previous words, a vein popping onto his forehead. "AND YOU'RE JUST AS SHORT AS I AM" With adrenaline ridden strength, Toshiro pulled away from the velvety hands.

Kazue jumped back up, her eyes brimming with excitement. "Aaawww...You were so soft and warm! Like an oversized pillow" A disappointed look crossed her face as she hugged herself, emphasizing her words. A smirk took over her frown when she saw the white-haired captain blush, his uniquely coloured eyes wide.

"Wh-What" Toshiro gaped. He was at a loss for words. He, the one who wields the most powerful ice/snow-type zanpakuto and is known for his cold personality, was _soft and warm _and was compared to an _oversized pillow_. Height issues aside, her words continued to echo throughout his mind.

"Are you embarrassed captain? You're looking like a child right now"

"DAMARE"

Xxx

Kazue sighed as she signed another document. As punishment for teasing him, Toshiro decided to give her even more paperwork, saying that she had to finish all of it or else he would tie her to a chair until she finished it. She retorted by saying "I didn't know you were into that kinda stuff" and earned herself another stack of paperwork. _'I understand your pain now Matsumoto'_

Her brush suddenly stopped, her grey eyes flitting towards the window.

"Captain"

"What"

"What do you do when you see a yellow ball of light carrying weird-looking people crash into the Seireitei?"

"Report to- wait what" Toshiro dropped his brush, his turquoise gaze immediately turning towards what the lieutenant was staring at. Just on cue, the alarm began to sound, a loud voice interrupting every shinigami's thoughts and actions.

"ALERT ALERT. INTRUDERS IN THE CITY. ALL PERSONELS SHOULD REPORT TO THEIR STATIONS"

Both Toshiro and Kazue stared wide-eyed at the chaos ensuing outside over the sudden invasion as the alarm repeated once more.

"Captain, Kazue!" Rangiku bursted through the doors, a serious expression replacing her usual bubbly one. "What are the orders?"

"For now we will stand guard and watch out for any ryokas" Toshiro watched as the hell butterfly fluttered out the open door. He swiftly strapped his zanpakuto across his back, Kazue mirroring his actions. "Come on you two" He exited the office, Rangiku right behind him trying to straighten her pink scarf. Kazue was the last to leave, making sure to lock the office door. A small smile spread across her face at how she ended up being able to skip out on paperwork. Then she wondered if the captain would follow through with his threat since she technically didn't finish all her paperwork. She silently prayed he would've forgotten about it by the time all the trouble blows over.

Xxx

"Shimata..." Kazue whined as she made another sharp turn, her dark red hair tailing behind her in its usual low ponytail. "Where am I..." She had somehow gotten separated from her captain and third seat and was now looking desperately for the two tenth division members. And all that did was get her even _more _lost, if that was even possible. Even after all these years of being a shinigami the girl still managed to get lost. The only reason she no longer trailed off to who knows where when going to the third division was because she actually memorized the way there after having to go there several times to drop off misplaced paperwork. It was widely known that the lieutenant of the tenth division's sense of direction rivaled the captain of the eleventh division's.

Making another sharp turn, Kazue ran straight into something. "Owww" She stood back up, rubbing the back of her head. Looking down, she immediately saw puffs of orange and the usual black shihakusho, a large sword strapped across the back. She gingerly held her hand out for the man to take, only to jump back in surprise. The orange-haired man swung his giant sword in response and the lieutenant nearly got her hand sliced off.

Kazue barely unsheathed her zanpakuto out in time to block another attack. Normally, somebody wouldn't go swinging their sword around at any random shinigami. "Ryoka" The words were muttered under her breath as she brought her sword up to block another attack from the colossal weapon.

She quickly jumped back, avoiding another wide swing. She looked up, her light grey orbs meeting chocolate-brown. _'Those eyes...they're so...familiar'_

"Out of my way!" The lieutenant snapped out of her thoughts at the sight of the ryoka rushing towards her, his sword pointed straight at her chest. Sparks flew as the two zanpakuto's clashed.

Kazue narrowed her eyes at the towering shinigami before her. He had all the aspects of a regular shinigami, even a zanpakuto and immense reiatsu. "What is your reason for invading the Seireitei?" She looked up at the ryoka, her orbs calculating, scrutinizing.

"To save a friend" He jumped back to avoid a sweep of the lieutenant's sword. He stared, confused as to why she had stopped moving and was just looking back at him, her grey eyes wide.

"You would go through all of this...to face all thirteen captains and lieutenants...to save a friend"

"That's right. She saved my life and my family's life. If I let her die, then I know that I won't be able to forgive myself after all she's done for me"

Silence filled the air. "I see..." The lieutenant swiftly sheathed her zanpakuto, half-lidded eyes staring at the ground. Reaching into the folds of her shihakusho, she pulled out her signature paper-white crane. "What is your name, ryoka" She looked up from the ground, meeting his confused gaze.

"Ichigo Kurosaki"

"Well then, don't die Kurosaki-chan!" Kazue threw the crane towards the orange-haired shinigami, watching as the piece of origami flew onto his shoulder. She flashed him a quick thumbs-up and wink before using shunpo to flash out of the area, leaving a baffled Ichigo.

Xx

_'Great. Just great. How does this even happen' _Kazue mused to herself as she leaned against a random wall. She managed to get herself in an even more unknown area, surrounded by towering white walls. _'C'mon Captain...it shouldn't take too long to find me' _She remembered all the times she got lost and was eventually found by her captain who was usually extremely pissed, often lecturing her on their way back to wherever they were supposed to be going.

Soon, the lieutenant heard several footsteps come rushing towards her. Whipping her head around, hoping that it was her captain, she saw several unranked shinigami. "Ah! That's lieutenant Kaneshiro" One of them shouted, pointing at her form.

"Lieutenant Kaneshiro!" Another quickly made his way towards her, panting from all the running they had done. "We felt some unknown reiatsu flare up nearby and we think it's a ryoka" He explained, regaining his posture and cocking his head towards the direction that the lieutenant had just come from; but it wasn't like they knew that.

Kazue slowly walked over to the group, her eyes half-lidded and her lips pulled in a small frown. "Yeah...I was hoping nobody would notice it...but who am I kidding" Dark purple flower petals began to fall all around the unranked shinigami.

"L-Lieutenant Kaneshiro" One of them mumbled out, their vision becoming hazed and blurry.

"I'm sorry..." And with that, the shinigami collapsed.

The burgundy-haired shinigami stared at the fallen shinigami before a set of footsteps gradually grew louder, and with it a very familiar reiatsu. "Kaneshiro" She knew who that voice belonged to, she could tell it out from a large crowd any day. Kazue grudgingly turned her gaze toward a certain short, white-haired captain.

"Captain Hitsugaya" Her gaze flickered between him and the collapsed shinigami. _'Shimatta...' _Kazue sweat-dropped, a nervous and sheepish smile plastered on her face. She unconsciously clenched the black fabric of her shihakusho, her smile quickly fading, only to be replaced by a frown. Her gaze looked anywhere except for the approaching captain.

Toshiro took a few steps closer, his turquoise orbs switching between his lieutenant and the fallen shinigami. "Kaneshiro...what are you doing?" The girl clenched her teeth, her light grey orbs soon staring straight into his own. She saw the swirl of confusion, disbelief, shock, and...distrust. Her eyes widened before narrowing down on the captain.

Before he could say anything else, Kazue quickly her index and middle finger at him. "Captain...I'm sorry! Bakudo Number 1: Sai" Toshiro's hands swiftly locked behind his back and he fell onto his knees, his eyes widening in realization at what was happening.

"What are you doing" He repeated, this time louder and more demanding as he struggled against the bakudo. Kazue briefly glanced at him. They way she looked at him, the way her brows knitted together and the way her lips pulled down; it made his heart drop, his demanding and intimidating demeanor faltering for a miniscule moment.

"I'm fighting for what I believe in" With those last words, she used shunpo, swiftly disappearing from the vicinity. Toshiro could only stare at where she used to be, his eyes wide in confusion and disbelief.

"Kazue!" He yelled out, his voice now laced with anger and frustration. He broke free from the bakudo, his eyes staring at his hands. "What..." He flexed his fingers before gritting his teeth, his turquoise orbs narrowing as he flash-stepped in pursuit.

Xxx

She continued to flash across the rooftops, speeding up whenever she felt her captain get too close for comfort. Feeling another reiatsu approach them, Kazue tightened her fists, quickly rushing off in another direction.

"Captain!" Rangiku ran over to the scowling white-haired shinigami, her hair billowing out behind her. Before Toshiro could even speak, the third seat's brows crunched up into worry and her lips pulled into a stern frown, largely contrasting her usual bubbly attitude. "Renji has been taken down by a ryoka and put into confinement"

Sea-green eyes widened from shock. _'Great...things are just going absolutely great' _His scowl deepened even further. "Matsumoto -" A loud, blood-curdling scream interrupted him. Immediately knowing who the voice belonged to, Toshiro began to use a mix of shunpo and running, Rangiku following behind.

Xx

"What..." Kazue's eyes were glued to the top, her light-grey eyes trembling and widen. However, this couldn't even hold a candle to Momo's condition. Sobs and screams could be heard from the fifth division lieutenant, tears streaming down her face endlessly as she yelled out for her captain, hoping and clinging to the false idea that this was all fake, unreal.

She rubbed her eyes, hoping that this was just an illusion. When she opened them again, she still saw Captain Aizen pinned onto a wall, his own zanpakuto pierced straight through his chest, holding his lifeless body in the wall. Dried blood streaks painted the walls, painted every shinigami's vision. Kazue cleared her throat, her nails digging into her own skin, dangerously close to drawing blood. She paid no mind to the approaching reiatsu of her captain and third seat. No, her entire focus was on the scene before her.

"What's going on? Who is screaming so early in the morning?" All eyes turned towards Ichimaru Gin. His grin didn't even waver at the sight of his comrade pinned to the wall. Momo's mind repeated what her childhood friend had told her the day before, her eyes widening in realization.

"IT WAS YOU" Within the span of three seconds, the fifth division lieutenant pulled out her zanpakuto, charging straight for the grinning captain, her teeth grinding against each other, pure rage blocking out any rational thoughts. The clang of metal resounded as Izuru swiftly blocked the attack, his eyes narrowing down at the trembling girl in front of him. "Kira-kun...WHY"

Izuru held his grip on his zanpakuto. "I am the lieutenant of the third division. I don't care what your reason is but I cannot allow you to point your sword at my captain!"

"Please...move aside, Kira"

"I can't"

"Move aside...move!" Momo's voice grew in desperation, her sword shaking against her friend's.

"I can't"

She snapped, her eyes widening in fury and frustration, all patience disappearing. "WHAT PART OF 'MOVE ASIDE' DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND"

"WHAT PART OF 'I CAN'T' DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND" The blonde shinigami retorted, the level of volume surprising everyone. Gin, however, just continued to smile at the scene, as if it was amusing him.

"BURST, TOBIUME" As the last words left her mouth, a fiery explosion swept both lieutenants back, burn marks appearing on Kira's skin. He lifted his sword up, taking an offensive position. As the two lieutenants neared each other, their swords swinging, they were stopped. Two hands gripped the two blades, blood flowing down the arm.

"BOTH OF YOU, STOP. NOW" The burgundy-haired shinigami quickly grasped both Kira and Momo's necks, slamming them both down onto the ground, their faces meeting the wooden platform. Their swords flew out of their grips, sliding a fair distance away from their masters. Kazue saw the way both of them looked at each other, as if they were both enemies out to kill each other. "HOW DARE YOU TWO FIGHT AGAINST EACH OTHER" All were shocked at the usually fun and kind tenth division lieutenant, the outburst silencing the fighting shinigami. "How could you...even though you two are...friends..." She looked down on both of them, sorrow and anger mixed within her grey orbs.

"Kaneshiro-chan...please let me go!" Momo pleaded, tears still pricking at the ends of her eyes, her voice still filled with desperation to avenge her captain, her idol.

"I will not until I know you won't attack Lieutenant Kira or Captain Ichimaru" Kazue's words caused the fifth division lieutenant to grit her teeth, her reiatsu fluctuating with rage.

Momo lifted her palm up towards the red-haired shinigami. "Hado number 31: Shakkaho!" The burst of red energy caused all three to fly away from each other. Kazue staggered, burn marks covering her arms and parts of her face, blood dripping down from both of her palms.

Izuru, seeing the way Momo glared at him with an outstretch palm, quickly held out his own hand. "Hado numb-" He fell forward along with the fifth division lieutenant, both collapsing forward onto the ground fainted.

Toshiro rubbed his hands together after knocking both of them out. His gaze flitted between the two fainted shinigami and his injured lieutenant, who was very much trying her best to continue standing after taking a powerful shakkaho to the face. "Don't move, Kaneshiro" His icy gaze narrowed dangerously low at the burgundy-haired shinigami. "Take all three away and lock them up" Rangiku, Shuuhei, and Iba were confused as why they had to lock away the tenth division lieutenant, but when they saw the glare they received from the cold captain they quickly began their task.

Kazue didn't resist as Rangiku tied her hands together, albeit rather nervously. She just stood there, exhausted, her eyes never leaving the shrinking sight of her captain as she was dragged away to the cells. And just for a second, she caught a turquoise gaze looking straight at her grey. It looked so hurt, abandoned.

Empty.

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

Yep. I really liked how this turned out. How about you? What are your thoughts? Put it in a review! It'll make my day all the more brighter. Especially with all these allergies. MAN. Haha yeah.

I was bored. I wanted to do this. Yes.

Omake:

Toshiro: _'Why does it smell sweet...like peaches, nowadays?'_

Rangiku: Captain, Captain!

Toshiro: -facepalms- what!?

Rangiku: Look at this article the Shinigami Women's Association published! -shows him pictures of Kazue eating peaches, napping on a roof, ect- It was a total hit!

Toshiro: -slightly blushes- she let you take pictures of her and publish them!?

Rangiku: Of course not! She rarely comes to meetings anyways! Oh, Oh, heres a really good picture! -shoves the picture in front of Toshiro-

Toshiro: -chokes on tea and furiously blushes-

Rangiku: OOOOHHH, Captain your blushing! It's only showing her covered in a giant towel! Unless your thinking of something else...What a naughty captain you are! -snickers-

Toshiro: DAMARE

Kazue: hey, has anybody seen my towel? I just finished washing it and put it out to dry but I can't find it anymore...

Rangiku: Yeah, I lent it to Captain cause he ran out.

Toshiro:MATSUMOTO

x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

I was really really bored. Weird omake.


End file.
